Page plan · 9 pages

Written for: Tea drinkers and history fans browsing tall social cards

1. 1

   Whisked tea at the Song court, pour by pour

   • Song-dynasty tea was whisked, not steeped, and the court prized it highly.
   • This card series walks through the tools, the prep and each pour.
   • Emperor Huizong's Treatise on Tea (Daguan chalun) describes the seven-pour method.
   • Each card reads one step in plain English.
2. 2

   Powdered tea whisked into foam, not steeped

   • Tea leaves were ground into a fine powder before use.
   • The powder was whisked in hot water until it formed foam.
   • Leaves are not steeped and strained, as in later loose-leaf tea.
   • The foam, not the liquid alone, was the point of the drink.
3. 3

   Bowl, ewer and bamboo whisk

   • The bowl was a wide, dark-glazed tea bowl, and dark glazes showed off white foam.
   • The ewer was a narrow-spouted kettle that let the pourer control the stream.
   • The bamboo whisk beat the powder and water into foam.
   • Three simple tools did all the work.
4. 4

   Warming the bowl and pasting the powder

   • First warm the bowl so the tea does not cool too fast.
   • Put the powder into the warmed bowl.
   • Add a little hot water and work it into a smooth, thick paste.
   • The paste has no lumps and becomes the base for every later pour.
5. 5

   First and second pours: stars and moon on the surface

   • The first pour is a small amount of water, added while stirring the paste.
   • The surface begins to show small bubbles like scattered stars.
   • The second pour brings larger, rounder patches of foam, like a moon.
   • Whisking is steady and strong with the wrist.
6. 6

   Third and fourth pours: fine bubbles and rising mist

   • The third pour is added in a thin stream to keep the foam growing.
   • Bubbles become finer and more even across the surface.
   • The fourth pour is gentler, and a light mist-like rise appears.
   • Whisking stays steady so the foam builds without collapsing.
7. 7

   Fifth and sixth pours: a dense, snow-like froth

   • The fifth pour builds the froth thicker and brighter.
   • The sixth pour makes the foam dense and close-textured, like snow.
   • Whisking is lighter and more controlled than in earlier steps.
   • The tea now looks creamy and nearly ready.
8. 8

   The seventh pour: foam that clings to the bowl

   • The seventh and final pour is small and careful.
   • The goal is foam so firm that it clings to the bowl's sides.
   • Foam that holds without quickly fading marked a well-made bowl.
   • The tea is then ready to drink.
9. 9

   Pure white as the ideal colour, and what came after

   • Pure white foam was the ideal colour for Song whisked tea.
   • Dark bowls were favoured because they made white foam stand out.
   • Later, in the Ming dynasty, steeped loose-leaf tea became the norm.
   • Powdered whisked tea lived on in Japan as matcha.